A Hybrid Fiber Coaxial (HFC) network is a telecommunications network that uses optical fiber cables and coaxial cables in different portions of the network to carry content (e.g., video, data, voice, etc.). For example, a system operator may install (or have installed) fiber optic cable from the distribution center (head-end facility) to intermediate nodes located close to a large number of users. From these intermediate nodes, coaxial cable may extend to individual businesses, residences, or other locations. A HFC network may be advantageous in that features of fiber optic cable (e.g., high bandwidth, low noise/interference susceptibility, etc.) can be utilized to reach points close to the users without having to install fiber optic cables to individual locations.
A Radio Frequency over Glass (RFoG) network is a telecommunications network that brings fiber to the home using one or more optical splitters from a shared fiber. There are cases where HFC and RFoG networks are combined.
The Data Over Cable Service Interface Specification (DOCSIS) is a telecommunications standard that has been widely used by network operators to provide high-speed data services to customers. For example, DOCSIS is employed by many cable television operators to provide Internet access over their existing HFC infrastructure.